


The Trade

by Trix



Series: The Trade [2]
Category: CSI: NY
Genre: AU, M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-29
Updated: 2010-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-12 07:21:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/122341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trix/pseuds/Trix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shipper captain Mac Taylor makes a trade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Traded

Mac kept his grasp on Lindsey, looking straight at the older man at the table.

"We still haven't agreed on our compensation Captain Messer."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem,Captain Taylor. After all, anyone can see how much they love each other, and you and I both want them to be happy."

Mac smiled at the attempt at friendliness. "I'm sure." He answered non-commitally. "But I still need a replacement engineer."

"Of course, captain Taylor, I'll call one." Messer made a move to send one of the crewmen to fetch what he'd offer as a replacement, but Mac cut him off.

"I think we will pick one for ourselves, if you don't mind." Messer hid his ire, he hated dealing with other captains, only really comfortable with his subordinates.

"Not at all, Captain Taylor."

"Aiden, Stella, go see what they got." The two women moved to the door, but before they could leave Mac added. "If they don't have anyone we want we'll call it off, so look closely. I know you want Lindsay to be happy." Mac's statement was meant for Messer's ears and they all knew it. But Lindsay still couldn't quite supress her reaction to the threat. Neither could Messer's son, who clenched his fists under the table. Messer made a gesture to his crewman.

"Take them to engineering, let them watch our boys in action."

"Yes sir." The crewman left followed by the two women. Mac and Don stayed where they were, one on each side of Lindsay, not that they thought Lindsay, or her lover, would try anything. It was just a matter of not tempting them. They made mindless small talk while they waited for the women to return with the demands they would make of Messer in return for Lindsay.

 

The door finally opened and Stella and Aiden came back in, followed by their guide. Mac smiled when he saw the predatory gleam in Stella's eyes. She'd found what they were looking for. He quickly schooled his expression though, it wouldn't do to appear too eager, negotiations were tricky enough as it was.

"Did you find anything?" His voice was carefully free of expectations, and Stella, having done this before answered in an equally disinterested tone.

"No one that was quite perfect, but there is one that might work out. He's flawed but he's the the best fit I could find. I'm sorry captain."

"Who?" Mac's voice was calm, even though he felt like cheering. In code Stella had just said that she'd found the perfect member for their crew. It wouldn't do to let Messer know though. If he could get this to be an even trade-off he'd be happy. He'd be rid of Lindsay, who'd never really got used to living on a smaller ship, gain a new member that would be perfect, and Messer would still feel like he'd come out on top. He didn't really think much of his techs, his son would get his lover, and engineering was something Messer considered appropriate for women as it kept them out of harms way. Lindsay would be happy with her lover, and he was pretty sure his new crewmember would be happy with them.

"Danny. Don't know his last name. He's blond, blue eyes, a bit skinny and a little nearsighted, so we're not exactly getting top dollar, but it was the best they had to offer, and I want Lindsay to be happy with her man. We could get something in between to cover the difference."

"Alright, Stella. You heard her, captain Messer. We want Danny the blond, blue-eyed, skinny and nearsighted engineer. And something to cover the fact that Lindsey is young, beautiful, healthy, well-educated and fertile."

"Are you sure you want him?" Messer didn't sound very happy, this Danny must be one hell of a tech for Messer to be reluctant to give him up.

"Yes." Mac's voice didn't waver.

"There is a minor problem with that."

"What is it?"

"Danny," Messer paused, "is my son." That was a bit of a shock, no one had heard of any other son than the two warriors at the table, and the bastard child that was the captain of another ship.

"Is there a reason we never heard of him before?" Mac asked.

"He's--" another pause. Messer didn't like talking about his son, "a bit of an, underachiever." he finally finished.

Mac smiled. "I'm sure I can get him to apply himself to his work, Captain Messer, I know how hard it can be to work with familymembers. You needn't worry about that. After all you gave us fair warning." Mac was more determined then ever to get his new crewman off the Messer and on board the Tripoli.

"Alright, I guess I should let you have a closer look. Fetch Danny." The last part of that sentence was directed at the nameless crewman who'd been Stella's and Aiden's guide. He left the room and they were once again waiting, the crewmembers from the Tripoli forming a cluster around Lindsay. Not that it would stop the Messer's crew if they really wanted to take her, but appearances were important in these matters.

 

A few minutes later the door opened again, and the crewman entered, followed by a nervous looking young man, in dirty coveralls and glasses. He glanced nervously around him, clearly wondering if he'd done something wrong.

"You asked for me, Captain." His voice was quiet, subdued and his posture was tense. Messer ignored the young man.

"Well here he is." Messer's voice was dismissive. Mac looked the young man up and down, taking in the slender build, made even more so by inadequate food, and the tense, frightened way he carried himself.

"Well," he drawled, "skinny was right. But I think he'll work well on the Tripoli, once he's cleaned up and has a bit of training." Danny didn't move, but Mac could see him shrink under the cold appraisal.

"We'll take him." Messer frowned at that.

"He is my son." He began, even though it was obvious that he didn't really care for the man.

"I understand that it will be difficult for you to part with him." Mac lied smoothly. "So we will consider his family an addition to his value. Consider it a wedding present from the Tripoli."

"How much added?" Messer asked. Mac looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Even tradeoff." He said. "Just because I want Lindsay to be happy."

Messer still didn't seem like he was going to take the offer, and just as Mac began thinking about other ways to get his Danny off the Messer and on the Tripoli, Louie jumped up from the table and yelled, "Just give them the damn brat already! We all know he's no good for anything!" There was a few moments tension when no one knew what would happen before Louie sat down again.

"Sorry."

 

After that the negotiations went smoother and after a while they had agreed on an equal tradeoff, Lindsay for Danny, and Mac handed Lindsay over to her lover, who enthusiastically embraced her, and grabbed a hold of Danny's arm, pulling him in the middle of the group.

"I can see you're going to be very happy Lindsay. Congratulations and goodbye. Captain Messer, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." The group made their way through the short corridor to the airlock where the Tripoli was docked, and breathed a shared sigh of relief to be back on their own ship. The crew was watching curiously to see who they'd gotten in the trade, and Mac could feel Danny getting more and more tense in his grasp.

"Alright, you lot. Let's get out of here." The group scattered as the crew went to their duty stations and the Tripoli started the process of getting undocked with the Messer. Mac grabbed Don's arm before he could go.

"Take him to our quarters and get him cleaned up, I don't want him smelling of another ship." He pushed Danny in Don's arms and went off to make sure everything worked out well with his ship.

 

Danny was scared, his life so far had not been particularly pleasant and he certainly wasn't going to miss his father, or his old ship, very much, but coming new to another ship was always a risk, especially since he was there only as a replacement engineer. If someone had found him attractive, and wanted him onboard for that reason his position would have been much more secure, but the Captain's cold appraisal on the Messer had made it clear that he was not what they wanted. They'd only taken him as a favor to their crewmember, to give her new life the best possible start. Which it already had the way Louie had been talking about her non-stop for the last couple of months. The tall, darkhaired man grabbed his arm and started walking down the corridor, making Danny stumble and half-run to keep up, he stopped by a door, opened it, and gently pushed Danny inside.

"First up, Danny, get out of those dirty covers and wash yourself, get that nasty Messer stink off you. Be thourough, we will be back here later and if you still smell like you belong somewhere else." He didn't finish the threat, he didn't have to, Danny was familiar enough with punishments to want to avoid them. As soon as the other man had left he took his clothes off and started washing, using the strongest smelling soap he could find, which didn't smell very much at all, damnit. He scrubbed and scrubbed wondering how the hell they could expect him to stop smelling like a Messer, he WAS a Messer. How could he not smell like himself, especially when their soaps weren't scented, he searched briefly for some lotion or perfume but came up empty. Finally he accepted that there was no more he could do, any more washing and he'd break the skin, he was pretty sure there was exactly one person on the ship who was allowed to break anyones skin, and it damn sure wasn't him. He also realised that he'd not been given any clean clothes, and he wasn't about to put on the dirty ones after he spent so much time getting clean, so he sat down in a corner, naked, to wait for his new boss to return.

 

Danny looked up when the door opened and the captain and the other man walked in. He was freezing and fervently hoped they would think all of the shaking was because of the cold, Danny had learned early on not to let anyone see a weakness. Danny stood as the two men walked towards him. He pushed down his fear and forced himself to look at them. He longed to reach out to them, touch them, be touched by them, but he knew not to.

Mac and Don watched the blond man for what seemed like an eternity. They had known he was anxious, they just hadn't realized how anxious he was. Don moved first, seeing the fear in those blue eyes, brushing a hand lightly down a reddened arm.

"Well... you're clean," he said at last and saw how Danny pulled away, into himself, without any outward movement, at the percieved reproach. Mac moved to Danny's other side, cupping Danny's face in his hands.

"You're ours now," he informed Danny and the younger man looked at him surprised. The need to mark him with their scent had been strong before. Now, without the offputting stink of the Messer on him, it was nearly overpowering. Both men pressed against Danny, holding him between them as they maneuvered him toward the bed. Before Danny could fully comprehend what was happening, he was lying on his back and they were all over him, touching him and caressing him. He couldn't quite believe that this was actually happening. Danny gasped when a tongue swiped across his nipple moments before teeth began nipping at it gently, a hand moved in a light circle across Danny's chest and abdomen, soothing, soft and gentle.

Mac took advantage of his surprise, moving in for a deep kiss. He didn't pull away until Danny was light-headed and gasping slightly for air.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked, not quite bold enough to look the Captain in the eye.

"You're mine," Mac said simply before moving in for another kiss. Danny's senses were overwhelmed with the smell and feel of the two men. Two mouths and four hands were moving over him, making him feel more, and better, than he had ever thought possible. Somehow, they made him feel complete, like something he didn't know was missing was finally there.

"Please," he gasped, moaning loudly when a mouth latched onto his throat, sucking at the pulsepoint.

"Please what?" Mac asked, kissing his way down Danny's body. He met Don halfway, stopping long enough to give the other man a kiss that left no doubt as to his feelings for him before both men moved on, touching and kissing every inch of Danny's body as they claimed him. When they could no longer smell the other ship on him, they stopped, provocing a whimper from Danny. "Please," he said once more.

"What do you want Danny?" Mac asked, forcing him to meet his gaze. Danny remained quiet, uncertain of what answer the Captain wanted.

"Tell me Danny, what do you want? Do you want Don to lick up your cock, kissing the tip before swallowing you down. Do you want his fingers inside you, stretching you and preparing you." Danny's eyes widened in shocked pleasure as Don did everything Mac had said.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes," Danny pleaded. He nodded frantically, spreading his legs as two lubed fingers pushed inside him. He needed this. He needed them in a way that he had never needed anything before. A third finger slipped inside, brushing against his prostate. He cried out, thursting upwards until a strong hand held him down. Don smiled wickedly as he brushed against his prostate once more before pulling his fingers out.

"He's ready," he told Mac, smirking. Mac smiled and started to move down, but Danny grasped his wrist, holding him in place.

"Are you sure?" he asked, biting his lip. He didn't know what he would do if the Captain said no. Mac felt the need to claim, posess and protect overtake him as he looked into the frightened, wounded blue eyes.

"You're ours, Danny," he said, posessiveness coloring his voice. "You're ours and we're not letting you go." Danny smiled shyly at him and released his wrist. He moved down, pulling Don toward him for another soul-stealing kiss. Only after that did Don reach for the bottle of lube, pouring it into his hand before liberally covering Mac's hard cock. A soft whimper had them glancing down at Danny who was watching them intently, his pupils dilated, wide in lust.

Danny licked his lips as he watched them. He couldn't believe that these two strong and powerful men wanted him, they could have anyone, why would they want him? A sharp nip to his thigh broke his train of thought.

Mac positioned himself between Danny's legs, lifting them as he pressed into him. Only after he was completely sheathed did Don move behind him, stretching him as well. He brushed his thumbs across Danny's erect nipples, clenching around Don as he was entered. Finally ready, he pulled out slightly and thrust in slowly, starting a slow rhythm that had all three men gasping and moaning. He felt Danny tense every time he brushed against his prostate. He felt Don brushing against his own prostate on every other thrust and grabbed onto his self control. He was in control of this.

"Don't come until I tell you," he ordered Danny. Danny bit his lip and nodded, wrapping his legs around both men, pulling them in deeper. Mac felt his need take over completely as Danny agreed. He quickened the pace, pushing in deeply before pulling back. He felt Don bite his shoulder in an attempt to hold off his orgasm. Don knew what he wanted. Finally, he thrust once, coming hard deep within Danny.

"Not yet," he ordered Danny, panting slightly as Don pulled out of him, allowing him to pull out of Danny. Trading places, Don easily slipped into Danny, restarting the faster pace. Mac watched them move together, loving the sight that they made. He wrapped a hand around Danny's leaking cock, stroking upward as he gave the order.

"Come now." Both men nodded jerkily and Danny arched up, clenching hard around Don, pulling him with him. Mac held Don up as he started to collapse on top of Danny. Don gave him a soft smile as he pulled out before they curled up around Danny, holding him tight. Now he smelled right.

"Ours." Mac reminded him. Danny nodded, a small smile on his face as he answered. "Yours."

 

Danny stayed awake after his new--lovers, he supposed, he hoped--had fallen asleep. He pondered this new and promising turn of events, if they really meant what he hoped they meant by what they said before falling asleep, then Danny was really home, really safe. He didn't even allow himself to think about the possibility of being loved, it was enough to be wanted, unless of course it was just to make him smell right. The thought made Danny tremble, he didn't think he could really deal with being rejected, not by them. One of the men wrapped around him moved, in the dark and without his glasses Danny couldn't be sure who it was, then again it didn't really matter. Strong arms tightened around him.

"What's the matter?" the voice was thick and rough with sleep. Danny didn't answer right away, he knew the truth would most likely earn him a spot sleeping on the floor, even he was disgusted with his weakness. He realised of course that the Captain and, he thought for a moment, Don, deserved someone much better than him, but it felt so good to be held, to be warm and safe and protected. He bit his lip and hoped that the other man would go back to sleep, he couldn't lie to them, either of them.

"Danny. What's wrong?" Don could feel the tension in the too-slender body, as a full-body shudder shook Danny. "Are you cold?" Don hoped it was the cold, Danny was skinny enough that he would be very sensitive to cold. If he wasn't cold, then maybe Danny was having second thoughts about being in a relationship with him and Mac, and for all that they were both very posessive, scarily so according to people who'd tried to flirt, they would never try to keep Danny in a relationship he didn't want. They could, no one would consider it to be anything out of order. Danny was new on the ship, and for all intents and purposes, he could just as well have been a slave. He had nowhere to go no one to turn to, they controlled the living space, the food, the water, even the very air he breathed was under their control. He thought back to the bruises on Danny's body, his underfed condition on his fathers ship, where Danny had had every right to expect protection and care.

"Danny. Danny, look at me, Danny." finally Danny looked up, wounded, frightened blue eyes looked into his. "You know we won't hurt you, right Danny? You know we won't make you do anything you don't want to? Danny?" But rather then calm Danny as had been Don's intent, the thin body started shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Danny's trembling had woken Mac, and he'd listened to the conversation without saying anything. Don was usually better at talking to skittish, hurting people, who found Mac's intensity frightening. But Danny seemed to find Don's attempts to reassure him frightening rather then soothing, when Mac weighed in the way Danny's father had treated him with the way he'd asked them if they were sure they wanted him he thought he found the answer. Danny didn't want to hear them reassure him about having a way out if he wanted to, he wanted to hear them reassure him that they didn't want out.

"We love you, Danny." he said softly, and smiled triumphantly as Danny went completely still.

"You," Danny didn't believe his ears. "you,"

"We love you, Danny." He repeated.

"Yes we do." Don agreed.

"You," Danny still couldn't believe it.

"Danny. We. Love. You." Don and Mac enunciated each word clearly, so there could be no misunderstanding. Then realising that words alone weren't going to be enough, they proceeded to show him how they felt. And Danny let go of his thoughts and fears and let them take over, his last thought before thinking became impossible was that maybe, just maybe, this was really real.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by Buffy and Antoinette

Title: The Trade part 2/4

Author: Trix

Beta: Buffy and Antoinette

Rating. FRT

Warnings: Slash, Threesome, AU

Pairing: Mac/Danny/Don

Summary: Danny meets the crew.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine

 

Danny woke the next morning feeling sore, sated and warm. While the first was something he was used to, the other two were strange and pleasant sensations to Danny. He stayed still for a while trying to remember where he was and the cause of the warm feelings of pleasure and safety. Danny smiled slowly as his memory of the night before returned, unfortunately he also realized he needed to pee, so he had to try and get out of bed without waking his lovers. Which was an impossible task since he was squeezed tightly between them with his arms and legs tangled in theirs. Danny moved slowly and carefully trying not to wake them up. He was partially successful, they didn't wake up, but his movements disturbed them enough that they snuggled in closer and held him tighter. It would have been pleasant if they hadn't already held him tightly, and if he hadn't been squeezed between them so hard. Now the comfortable pressure became too tight and Danny couldn't breathe. He tried to gently push their arms away, only to discover that they held him tighter still. Danny forced down the panic, he'd simply have to wake them up. He didn't dare to wake the captain, whatever had been said in the heat of the moment last night, but Don, he was pretty sure he'd get away with waking Don. Moving carefully to avoid being choked, Danny reached out and carefully pinched Don, Don's eyes opened immediately, his muscles tensed. Danny didn't move until he was sure Don recognized him.

 

"Don?"

 

"Yeah, Danny?"

 

"I need to go to the toilet." Danny blushed.

 

"So? Why wake me up for that? Just go." Don was a little annoyed, but Danny was cute when he was blushing.

 

"Umm. I tried that. You didn't let me go." Danny's voice was shaking a little.

 

"What happened?" Don was fully awake now and picking up on the slight trembling that Danny was trying to hide.

 

"N-nothing."

 

"Danny, we're pretty laid back around here, but you will never, ever lie to us again." Don's voice was cold.

 

"S-sorry. Can I please go pee now? We can talk when I come back." Danny was almost begging.

 

"Alright." Don sighed and released him. Danny almost ran to the bathroom.

 

~*~

 

"What do you think that was about?" Mac asked his second.

 

"I don't know, I'm guessing we did something in our sleep, he seemed scared of us." Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to Don. "What if he's changed his mind? What if we hurt him last night? Mac, maybe we read him all wrong and he doesn't want us." Don felt like he was going to cry.

 

"Don, did you hear him say anything last night that even came close to the word no?"

 

"No."

 

"Did he do anything that seemed to indicate he didn't enjoy it?"

 

"No."

 

"Then what gave you the idea he doesn't want this?"

 

"You didn't see his eyes when he woke me, Mac. He was scared, really scared, and there are only the three of us here, what else could have scared him?"

 

"We will find out when he comes back." Mac wasn't as calm as he seemed, he didn't really know what he'd do if Don's fears were true and Danny really didn't want them.

 

~*~

 

Danny took as long as he reasonably could in the bathroom, before returning to the bed. When he came back he saw the captain had woken too and both men were looking at him expectantly. When he reached the bed they moved to make room for him between them, and Danny crawled down into bed again.

 

"Now Danny." Mac began, "You will tell us what scared you." It was an order cold and clear.

 

"Yes captain." Danny's voice was almost a whisper. Mac smiled.

 

"Danny." Danny looked up, uncertainly. "Given the fact that we're sleeping together, I think you can call me by my name." Danny looked at him confused and a little scared. Mac blinked. "No, I didn't, oh god, Danny I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Why didn't you say something?"

 

"What did you forget, Mac?" Don wondered, having rarely seen his lover flustered.

 

"We forgot to tell Danny our names."

 

"No." Don thought back. "We did, didn't we. I'm sorry Danny, we didn't mean to confuse you. It just slipped our minds."

 

"S'ok." Danny was still mumbling, trying to make sure he didn't say anything that couldn't be interpreted the way the other men wanted. It didn't work of course.

 

"Go on Danny." Mac prompted. Danny blinked. "Tell us what scared you." Danny tried to think of something to say that would keep them happy and still not be a lie, when he felt a hand caress a sensitive spot on the inside of his thigh. He gasped and lost his train of thought.

 

"You're not going to make us angry, Danny, except by lying. I promise." Don's soft voice reassured him. "Tell us. We need to know." Danny swallowed.

 

"You you held me too tight."

 

"I got the impression you liked to be held."

 

"I do! I do." Danny almost stumbled over the words. "It's just," he paused swallowing nervously. "when I tried to get up." He broke off only to continue after a glance at his lovers. "You held me tighter and tighter, and I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't get loose." Danny sobbed in remembered panic, only to be silenced by a soft gentle kiss.

 

"It's ok Danny. It's over now." There was another kiss and then "Now you know that it's better to wake us up when you need something." The kisses and caresses continued, slow gentle touches that had little or nothing to do with sex and everything to do with affection, love and belonging. When Danny was calm again, soft and pliant in their arms, Mac leaned down over him and whispered.

 

"We're never ever going to hurt you, Danny. We're never ever going to let anyone hurt you, ever again. Do you understand that Danny? No one is ever going to hurt you ever again."

 

Danny looked up at him and saw the honesty and truth in Mac's eyes, he meant every word, Danny trembled slightly with emotion.

 

"I-yes, Mac." Mac smiled when he heard Danny use his name for the first time.

 

"You wanna go back to sleep for a while?" Danny was surprised at the offer, and fully intended to turn it down so he could show Mac and Don what a good and diligent engineer he was, but a yawn forced its way out before the words.

 

"I'll take that as a yes." Mac chuckled, as they settled down, one on each side of him holding him gently, so careful not to scare him again. Danny opened an eye.

 

"I'm not made of glass you know, I won't break." He said before closing his eyes again as his lovers arms tightened around him. Mac and Don gave each other brilliant smiles of relief that they hadn't hurt their lover, or at least that they had been able to reassure him.

 

He was there, he was theirs, and he didn't want to leave them.

 

~*~

 

Danny woke for the second time feeling safe and warm and he snuggled in closer in his lover's arms.

 

"Good morning, love," Don pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Are you ready for some food and meeting the rest of the crew?"

 

"'Course, Don." Danny answered sleepily.

 

"Good." Don put his hand under Danny's chin and tilted his head up a little and kissed him. "Let's go then." He smirked as he got out of bed, Danny groaned and got up.

 

"I need some clothes." Danny started and caught the coveralls that Don tossed him.

 

"There you go," Danny got dressed and turned to find Don standing just behind him.

 

"You look good in that," Don smiled, "But not as good as you do naked." Don laughed at Danny's blush, "Let's go get some breakfast."

 

"Yeah, I can eat."

 

"Wouldn't know it from looking at you." Danny blushed again, then paled and looked uncertainly at Don. Don felt like kicking himself. "I love you and I think you are fantastic but you are a little too thin, nothing a good cook can't fix."

 

Looking at Danny it was obvious that Don's words hadn't reassured him. "Danny," Don stopped, words wouldn't convince Danny. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He said and kissed him softly, realising that it would be a long time before Danny truly believed that they loved him and that he was good enough.

 

"Come on, let's go eat." Don headed out the door, with one arm slung casually around Danny's shoulders.

 

They entered a room with a large oval table in it.

 

"This is the dining room," Don said. He walked over to the shutters along one wall, "and this is the kitchen, and our cook Sid. Sid, this is Danny, our new engineer."

 

The older man looked at Danny.

 

"Hello Danny, my but you're skinny, I'll have to fatten you up a bit." Danny looked down, he knew he was too thin, but he couldn't help it. He'd had as much food as the other engineers, enough to keep him working efficiently but not enough to make him gain weight. After all bulk was wasted on an engineer.

 

"Danny," Don wanted to kill captain Messer for what he'd done to Danny, "Danny. Please look at me." Danny looked up. "We love you. We love who you are. Your body has very little to do with that, OK Danny?" But Don's words were not enough to remove the pain in those clear blue eyes. "Danny." Don tried again, "What do I have to do to make you believe that I love you?"

 

A chorus of shocked gasps made Don turn his attention from Danny to the doorway where the rest of the crew stood staring in shock.

 

"Don," It was one of the women that had been on the ship when they'd picked him.

 

"Yes, Stella," Don's voice was calm.

 

"I hope this doesn't mean I made a mistake."

 

Don smiled. "No mistake Stella," He assured her as he felt Danny tremble with tension in his arms.

 

Don sat down and pulled Danny into his lap, kissing him softly, loving the way the tension left Danny's muscles and his body melted into Don's embrace.

 

"There's nothing to be scared of Danny." He mumbled comfortingly. "No one is going to hurt you. Me and Mac would clock them if they tried. OK?" Danny gave a shaky nod.

 

"OK."

 

"Don,"

 

Don sighed.

 

"Yes, what is it?"

 

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

 

"Why wouldn't it be?" Don was definitely getting a bit annoyed.

 

"Well, for one thing we need him and if Mac kills him we'll be short an engineer."

 

"Well Mac isn't going to kill him, so you don't need to worry about that." The crowd at the door was definitely getting agitated now.

 

"Don. Have you forgotten how jealous Mac can be?"

 

Danny looked at the rest of the crew from the safety of Don's arms, they hated him, he knew it. He'd replaced their friend, he was skinny and nearsighted and for some reason they seemed to have identified him as a threat. Danny pressed tighter into Don's embrace, knowing he'd need his lover's protection, and wishing intensely that Mac was there too.

 

Don felt Danny shaking again and held him tighter, closer, trying to make him feel safe and protected again, as he lost the tight hold on his temper.

 

"No I haven't. He's not going to be jealous. You don't need to be worried. And besides, it's not really any of your business is it?"

 

"If the captain of this ship is going to go into a muderous rage, yes it is our business!"

 

"What is going on here?"

 

Mac stood in the doorway, he could smell Danny's fear and confusion and it made him angry. This was his ship. On his ship, anyone he claimed should never feel fear. Danny pressed himself even further into Don's sheltering arms, seeing and hearing the anger and wanting to avoid the unavoidable violence that would no doubt follow when the captain was this angry. Danny's distressed whimper cut through Mac's rage like a razor. Punishments could wait. His lover needed him.

 

"It's OK Danny." Mac's voice was soft as he wrapped his arms around both Danny and Don. "There's nothing to be afraid of, we're here, we'd never let anything happen to you." Danny opened his eyes, surprised that there had been no bloodshed, no violence. He looked up at Mac uncertainly. Mac smiled, "It's gonna be a while before you learn how to trust people, isn't it."

 

Danny wasn't sure if it was a question or not, and wondered if he was supposed to answer, and what the answer was, but then it didn't matter because his lovers held him tight pressed between them, and Mac's lips met his in a gentle, soothing kiss. Danny opened his eyes again when Mac broke the kiss, blinking a few times in confusion.

 

"Feel better now, Danny?" Danny swallowed and nodded, still shaking a little.

 

Mac turned his attention to his crew, that was staring in openmouthed shock at their normally homicidally jealous captain and his equally jealous lover kissing and snuggling the trembling new engineer. Stella recovered first.

 

"Well, this was unexpected. Should I congratulate you?" Her voice was a little unsteady.

 

"Well, that would be nice, but for right now I think Danny would feel much better if he knew who he was speaking to, so-- Danny this is Stella, she's our mind bender."

 

"Hello Danny."

 

"Hey Stella."

 

"Our doctor, Sheldon Hawkes, you're seeing him later."

 

"Hey Danny."

 

"Hello Doctor."

 

"Adam, he's in hydroponics."

 

"Nice to meet you, Danny." The young man's cheerful greeting earned him a cold glare from Mac and Don.

 

"You too, Adam." Danny didn't notice his lovers glares or Adam's slight flinch.

 

"Our security officer Kaile Maka."

 

"Hello Danny."

 

"Hey officer Maka."

 

"Aiden is going to be working with you down in engineering."

 

"Glad you're here Danny, we're a bit backed up." Aiden smiled.

 

"Don't worry, I can clear it up." Danny forced a smile, thinking he was lucky to have gotten a good night's sleep, backlogs usually meant round the clock work for several days. Aiden winced.

 

"That's not what I meant, Danny. We work together around here. Just, you should know there's a lot to do, so." She trailed off, realising Danny hadn't taken offense, he'd merely stated his ability to do what was required of him.

 

"And you've already met our chef, Sid." Mac finished. "Now then, does anyone have any questions?"

 

"I have one." Stella was the only one who dared speak.

 

"Go ahead Stella."

 

"Are you and Don gonna be as jealous about Danny as you have been about each other? And does Danny have any jealousy issues?" Mac smiled, just like Stella to point to a problem without making it seem like it.

 

"Yes Stella, me and Don are gonna be violent with people who try to flirt with or touch Danny. And no, I don't think Danny has a jealous bone in his body, then again, he's a very quiet person and I haven't known him that long. Anything else?"

 

"Yes, you need to have Sheldon look at him right?"

 

"Yeah." Mac confirmed.

 

"You can't punch him or in any other way hurt him for touching Danny." Stella said with perfect calm. "And you know he's going to be through, you wouldn't have him onboard if he wasn't, so make the mental preparations to accept seeing someone else touch Danny, or don't go with him to sickbay." Danny tried desperately not to whimper at the thought of going to the sickbay alone, but failed.

 

"It's OK Danny." Came a soothing murmur."We won't leave you there alone. It's OK." Danny was mortified, his new shipmates must think he was the weakest man alive, but the thought didn't keep him from burrowing further into Don's arms. Rather he tried harder to get close enough to hide, not that he thought he could hide, but he was still trying. Sid's voice saved him.

 

"Food's ready."

 

Mac went to the kitchen and returned with three plates heaped with food, and set them down in front of Don, who carefully maneuvered Danny to his own chair between Don and Mac. Danny looked at his heaped plate with something akin to fear.

 

"Umm I don't think I can eat all that." Danny hated the squeak in his voice.

 

"Don't worry about it Danny." Mac reassured him. "Just eat what you can manage." Danny smiled weakly and started picking at his food after he saw the rest of the crew start eating. He was too scared to be hungry but he was equally scared of appearing ungrateful by not eating.

 

"Danny." Danny turned to Mac to ask what he wanted but found his mouth full before he could. "Eat." Mac finished what he'd been saying, smiling as Danny chewed the meatball he'd put in his mouth. Danny glared at him, prompting another smile from Mac.

 

"You're cute when you're angry."

 

Danny swallowed his food and replied.

 

"I'm quite capable of feeding myself thank you."

 

"So why don't you?" Asked Don from his other side. Danny suddenly got the feeling that having Mac and Don in his life was going to be a decidedly mixed blessing.

 

"I'm eating." He grumbled and started on his own plate. Now that he was no longer scared he discovered he was actually very hungry, and remembered that he hadn't had anything to eat for probably about thirty hours. He didn't have any trouble at all finishing all the food on his plate. He listened to the conversation around the table even though he didn't feel quite at home enough to join in. And the comments about Mac and Don being violently jealous made him insecure about whether he was allowed to talk to others.

 

Stella was watching the new engineer with a wary eye, the young man was entirely too submissive for her to be comfortable. It wasn't a natural behavior for him, she could practically see the conditioning. She didn't think the others could but to her trained eye it was obvious that someone had beaten this behavior into him. She decided to talk to Mac and Don about their lover as soon as she could. If there was anyone onboard in need of gentleness and care, it was Danny. Not that it seemed Mac and Don were leaving anything to be desired in that area, but it was always better to make sure than to just take things at face value. If Mac and Don had one of their jealous rages in front of him it would scare him half to death, even more so if it was about him. She watched as Danny picked at his food, obviously uncomfortable. When Mac decided to take the decision away from Danny and simply started feeding him, she supressed a sigh of relief at the angry glare and snappy comeback Mac got for his trouble. Maybe Danny wouldn't be so hard to help after all, providing she could talk to Mac and Don before they did something to compound the problem. She smiled as she saw Danny clean his plate. Yes, providing she could get Mac and Don to understand what Danny needed, fixing him wouldn't be that much of a problem at all.


	3. Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by Antoinette

"Sit down Danny." The doctor sounded friendly. "Mac, Don do you want to wait outside?"

 

"No."

 

"Not really." Mac and Don answered at the same time.

 

"Maybe I should have phrased that differently." The doctor sounded calm.

 

"Mac, Don, you're waiting outside, I don't wanna get punched and Stella wanted a word with you."

 

"We're not gonna punch you and Stella can wait." Mac's voice was definitely cold.

 

"Mac." The doctor stopped whatever he was going to say at Mac's growl. "OK fine, you can stay."

 

"Thanks Shel, knew you'd see it my way." Mac smiled. The doctor shook his head.

 

"OK Danny, take your clothes off, and let's take a look at you."

 

Danny did as he was told, blushing a bright red. Not that he was embarrassed being naked in front of Mac and Don, and not that he didn't think the doctor hadn't seen everything before, it was just the combination of Mac and Don and the doctor and the bright lights and the knowledge that he was being judged, that made it all a bit much to bear. Thankfully the doctor was quick and his touch was impersonal while he did his job and half an hour later he told Danny he could put his clothes back on.

 

"Mac and Don you two can go talk to Stella, I need to ask Danny a few questions and I think he'll prefer it if you're not here to hear his answers." Mac looked like he was going to growl again. "I'm not going to touch him and I know you'd never deliberately hurt him but this is not things you need to hear. I'll tell you the results of his exam when I'm done. Now go talk to Stella before she gets really mad at you." Mac and Don looked at Danny, who smiled weakly at them.

 

"I'll be fine."

 

"OK Shel. Love you Danny." Mac and Don left the room.

 

"They are a bit overprotective aren't they Danny?" The doctor smiled.

 

"Maybe a little." Danny wasn't sure what to say but generally it was always best to agree.

 

"Now Danny, I'm a little bit concerned about how you got some of these bruises." Danny winced.

 

"I had a few accidents."

 

"Danny, a few of these might have been accidents but you have far too many injuries of different ages for it to be all accidental. Now, I know that you got these on your old ship and I'm not gonna pester you about it. It would probably be good for you to talk about it with Stella but I won't push. I just want you to know that that sort of thing is not accepted here, if someone, anyone hurts you, you can come to me or Stella and we will make it stop. You understand me?"

 

"Yes, Doctor Hawkes." Danny answered him obediently.

 

"Good Danny. Now how much did you have to eat on the Messer?"

 

"Regular Engineer rations." Danny found the question to be rather silly, what did he expect Engineers to eat?

 

"Which were?"

 

"About two thousand calories per day." Danny answered.

 

"OK good. Now for the embarrassing part, at least for you, I do this all the time." The doctor smiled in an attempt to reduce the tension. "How do you feel about Mac and Don?"

 

"I, um, what?" Danny floundered.

 

"How do you feel about Mac and Don?" The doctor's voice was soft. "I know you're sleeping together, but I want to know how you feel about that. I know Mac and Don can sometimes be..." He broke off looking for the right word to describe Mac and Don in one of their moods, "...a bit intense."

 

"Yeah," Danny said, "I noticed."

 

"Oh?" Sheldon tried some gentle prompting.

 

"Yeah, they get kinda intense sometimes."

 

"Intense enough to hurt or scare you?" Sheldon asked.

 

"Of course not, they've been very nice to me."

 

Sheldon sighed and decided to leave the psychology to Stella who was better at it, she'd tell him if she needed his help with the boy.

 

"OK well then I guess we're done here, Danny. You go talk to Stella while I talk to Don and Mac."

 

~*~

 

Mac and Don were not happy about leaving Danny alone in sickbay, even though they knew Sheldon would never hurt him, or even consider hurting him. Stella was waiting for them outside.

 

"What do you want Stella?" Don growled.

 

"In a bad mood because you had to leave Danny?" Stella quirked an eyebrow.

 

"Yes." Mac and Don agreed.

 

"Well, that's what, or rather who, I wanted to talk to you about."

 

"What about Danny? And this better not be about us making a mistake." Don was still angry.

 

"It's not." Stella reassured him. "It's about how to keep you from making a mistake and hurting Danny."

 

Both Mac and Don growled at that.

 

"There is no need to growl at me, I have no intention of letting you guys hurt a member of this crew just because you are too proud to listen to good advise."

 

"All right, we're listening."

 

"Good. Now have you notice anything out of the ordinary about Danny?"

 

"Apart from wanting him the minute I laid eyes on him?" Mac smiled. "Even with that nasty Messer stink on him it was all I could do to not jump him as soon as I had him on the ship."

 

"Did you have the same reaction Don?" Stella was honestly curious, this was very unusual indeed, she'd have to do some research.

 

"Yeah, it took a real effort to leave him alone to wash up." Don's smile was a bit tense.

 

"Hmm. Well apart from that have you noticed anything unusual about his behavior?"

 

"Well, he's very insecure. He's easily frightened. He seems to trust us though." The last was said with a smile. Stella frowned.

 

"Well, what do you think about someone who's very insecure and easily frightened, should someone like that really trust two complete strangers, just cause they're nice to him?"

 

"Look Stella it's obvious that you're leading up to something, so why don't you just cut to the chase and tell us what you want." Mac was out of patience.

 

"All right, Danny is very vulnerable, and if you guys have one of your jealous rages in front of him you'll scare him half to death. Also, he's not at all as submissive as he appears, he just acts that way for fear of punishment. You should give him a lot of responsibility and encourage him to take initiative." Stella took a deep breath. "And you should make sure he knows he has a choice about you."

 

~*~

 

Mac and Don were let back in sickbay after the doc had finished his chat with Danny.

 

"Well Sheldon?" Mac asked.

 

"Well he's fit for duty. He's slightly malnourished, and some of his old injuries still hurt a bit, but nothing major. On a more personal note-" Sheldon broke off and took a deep breath. "On a more personal note I think you need to be careful with him, if you ask him he'll deny it, but, I think he's been abused for a very long time, probably since they discovered his nearsightedness." Sheldon blushed slightly. "The point is that if you hurt him or scare him he won't tell you, he'll just assume it's something he did wrong. He's very accustomed to abuse and would never think to question it if someone decided to hurt him. I want him to come in for regular checkups, just to make sure." Sheldon forced himself not to back down from the captain's dangerous glare. "It's not that I think you can't or won't take care of him, but I think it might be prudent to keep a medical eye on him." Sheldon fought down the urge to run and hide from Mac and Don.

 

"We already had this conversation with Stella." Said Mac. "And we didn't like it from her either. Danny is perfectly safe with us. He is not going to get hurt." Mac turned and left sickbay with Don close behind him. Sheldon sighed.

 

~*~

 

Stella looked at the nervous fidgeting young man in front of her.

 

"Are you alright Danny?"

 

"Yeah m'fine."

 

"You sure about that Danny?"

 

"Yes Stella I'm sure about that." Danny forced himself to be calm even though he wanted to scream at her, he'd already answered her question. Stella smiled, with the right amount of careful provocation it wouldn't be hard to get a minor explosion out of Danny.

 

"Tell me about yourself." She said. Danny groaned, he really hated this.

 

"I'm the youngest son to captain Messer of the Messer. My mother died when I was born. I have two brothers, Frankie and Louie, and a half brother Sonny, who's captain of the Tanglewood. When I was nine it was discovered that I was nearsighted, and I was moved from warrior training to engineering. I studied hard and I am now a very good engineer. I am diligent and skilled and I follow orders, I think you will be pleased with my performance."

 

"Oh we're already pleased, Danny. Especially Mac and Don." Stella stated with smirk. Noting Danny's blush. "You're going to fit in here just fine. But I was asking about YOU, not your family or education, tell me about you."

 

"What about me?" Danny was very uncomfortable now, and was relieved to see Mac and Don stalk out of sickbay looking like they were going to punch someone. He jumped to his feet.

 

"Are we done now?" He asked eager to get away.

 

Mac smiled."You didn't like her questioning any more than we did, did you? Yes we're done. Come on Danny." Don grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

 

~*~

 

"So are we going to engineering now?" Danny asked curious.

 

"No."

 

"Then where are we going?"

 

"Our room."

 

"I thought I was supposed to work." Danny was more than a bit confused.

 

"You are. Later." The door to their room opened and Danny suddenly found himself pushed up against the wall and kissed.

 

"Right now, we need to make sure you're still ours." Danny found this utterly confusing and ridiculous. Of course he was theirs, he didn't want to be anyone else's and no one would be stupid enough to try to compete with both the captain and his second, even if Danny had been desirable enough to warrant such attentions, which he didn't think he was. Still he wasn't going to complain about having two possessive lovers all over him. He slipped his arms around Mac's waist.

 

"I'm yours." He said quietly. And felt Don's hands on his face turning him so Don could reach to kiss him too. Danny felt Mac and Don moving and moved with them until he felt his legs hit the side of the bed. He felt them tugging at the zipper to his coveralls, and then their hands were on his skin. He was pushed down, gently, on to the bed. Danny looked up to see his lovers take their own clothes off and cursed his nearsightedness when all he saw was a blur. He wondered vaguely when his glasses had disappeared, but then he felt his lovers' lips against his skin and it didn't matter, nothing mattered except Mac and Don.

 

Don ran his hands slowly over Danny's body, lightly tracing the fading bruises with his fingertips, before bending forward and kissing a particularly livid bruise just above his belly button. He wasn't sure if Danny's gasp was pleasure or pain, so he moved to whisper in his ear.

 

"Is this okay, Danny? Did I hurt you?"

 

"More than okay." Danny managed to gasp, as Don nibbled on his earlobe. "Not hurting me." Danny lost all ability to speak when Mac ran his tongue along his cock.

 

"Good." Don mumbled before biting lightly at Danny's neck, Danny moaned and arched into the sensations, reaching out to touch his lovers, vaguely surprised that he was allowed to do so. Mac's hair and Don's skin felt silky and soft under his hands. Don felt Danny's hand move up around his neck and followed the gentle pull down for a kiss. Mac smiled when he noticed Danny being more of an active participant in their lovemaking, and decided to reward him. Danny moaned as his cock was swallowed and he felt Mac's fingers pushing carefully inside him. Don's mouth moved down along Danny's jawline and throat, pausing a bit to add some more color to the hickey already forming at his pulse point, before moving on to his nipples, kissing each one in turn, before gently biting one, while his hands where roaming all over Danny's body, caressing every single inch of skin. Danny thought he was going to go insane with pleasure, wondering in a detached way how it was possible for these men to make him feel so good. It took a few seconds for him to realize that they had stopped.

 

"What? Why did you stop?"

 

Mac smiled at the offended tone in Danny's voice.

 

"Tell us what you want Danny." His voice was lightly teasing, even though he and Don both had to fight the urge to touch and kiss and claim.

 

Danny thought briefly about killing his lovers.

"I want you damn it. Right now." He reached out to grab them only to find himself held down, Danny moaned, he didn't want to play games, he wanted to fuck, or get fucked, right now.

 

"Please." He whispered. "Mac please?"

 

"Tell us what you want, Danny, and we'll do it." Mac's breath was hot against his ear, and he could feel Don breathing so close to his skin it was almost a touch, Danny arched his back trying to reach Dons lips, only to feel him pull away.

 

"All you have to do is tell us what you want, Danny." Danny moaned in frustration.

 

"I want you, please." Danny begged.

 

"I don't think he knows this game Mac."

 

"I think you're right Don. Maybe we should show him how to play."

 

"OK we'll show you how it's done Danny." Don said. "Pay attention."

 

"Don I want you to kiss me." Said Mac, and Don leaned forward and kissed him passionately. Mac and Don looked down on Danny who was watching them avidly his pupils so dilated that the blue of his eyes was almost gone.

 

"Hot." He commented.

 

"Do you understand the game now Danny?"

 

"Yeah. I want you to touch me." As soon as he said it Mac and Don started touching him again. Danny moaned, this time in pleasure, as he felt their hands moving over his body caressing every inch of exposed skin, but soon it wasn't enough.

 

"More."

 

"More what Danny?" He could *hear* the other man smirk. Danny moaned he did not like playing games, especially when they were at his expense. Then he got an idea.

 

"I want you to stop playing games." He said clearly. A rough kiss took his breath away.

 

"I was wondering when you'd think of that." Don was amused. "No more games tonight, Danny."

 

"Good," Danny breathed. "you think you can get on with fucking my brains out now?"

 

"Yeah, we can do that. You know you could have just said you wanted us to fuck your brains out." Danny grabbed him and ended the argument with a kiss, while Mac who had tired of waiting for their discussion to end went back to his earlier occupation of making sure Danny was ready. Danny twisted and arched trying to get more contact, only to find Don's hands holding him down. Keeping him from moving.

 

"Please." Danny wanted them so much he felt like he would fall apart if they didn't give him what he wanted soon.

 

A hot hard kiss stopped him from speaking again, and then he felt Mac's cock penetrate him and he moaned into the kiss and thrust back almost desperately wanting more. Then he moaned again as Mac grabbed his hips and kept him from moving. Danny felt certain his lovers were going to kill him with frustration. Don's lips left his, and Danny gasped for air.

 

"Patience Danny," Don smiled at him. "it'll be worth the wait, I promise."

 

Don moved to straddle Danny's hips and Mac's hand moved from his hip to take a hold on his hard cock, guiding him so that Don could impale himself on it. Danny moaned at the sensation.

 

"Oh God."

 

"Feel good Danny?" Don was just a little out of breath.

 

"Yes." Danny panted. "God yes. Please." Danny wasn't even sure what he was asking for anymore but it didn't matter as his lovers understood perfectly without the need for any words, and Danny's world dissolved into pleasure as Mac and Don started to move.

 

Don leaned back letting Mac support him as he moved. The feeling of Danny inside him made his head spin. Mac turned his head and kissed Don.

 

"What do you think, Don, should we just let him come or should we torture him some more?"

 

"Let him come. He has work to do in four hours. I think he'd really hate it if we made him too tired to make a good impression."

 

"Yeah." Mac raised his voice. "You can come now Danny."

 

When Danny felt them speed up he clamped down on his self control struggling desperately not to come, then he heard Mac words and his orgasm rushed through him, triggering both Don's and Mac's. The three men collapsed in a sweaty boneless heap on the bed.

 

~*~

 

After a while Danny raised his voice.

 

"Umm guys." When they didn't answer he tried again. "Hey Don, Mac, wake up. Come on. Wake up." Danny's arguing finally got a response.

 

"What is it Danny?" Don mumbled sleepily.

 

"You're kinda heavy." Danny answered. "Snuggling is nice, but you're crushing me here."

 

"Sorry." Don mumbled and he and Mac rolled off Danny's prone body. Danny took a deep breath in relief.

 

"Thank you." he said.

 

"You're welcome Danny." Mac and Don said at the same time. "You can sleep for three hours before it's time for work."

 

"Good." Danny mumbled. "I don't want to be too tired to get anything done on my first day."

 

Don smiled at the comment, earning a kiss from Mac.

 

"You two get some sleep." Mac said. "I've got work to do." Mac left the bed and Danny made a move to get up too, only to find Don's arms wrapped tightly around him.

 

"Mac has work to do." He said. "You and I are on duty in four hours, we can sleep for three."


	4. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> betaed by Antoinette

Danny rushed through the ship hoping fervently not be late for his first day on the job. He burst through the door to engineering and was greeted by a smiling Aiden.

 

"Hey Danny. What's the rush? Your shift doesn't start for another ten minutes."

 

Danny sighed in relief. "I don't have a watch. I was sure I was late."

 

"Don't worry about it Danny."

 

"So what's the backlog?"

 

Aiden walked up to a console and started pushing buttons.

 

"Take a look and see for yourself."

 

Danny took his seat at the console and got to work, after a while he looked up.

 

"This shouldn't take too long to clear up. But why are we so far behind on the regular maintenance?"

 

"Lindsay." Aiden answered dryly.

 

"No good?" Danny questioned.

 

"Oh she was good, but she wasn't good for this ship. She kept nagging about how they didn't have those on the Montana. So she didn't know how to fix them."

 

"Well we had most of this on the Messer so I know how to fix them."

 

"Good." Aiden was relieved to find she finally had a reliable partner. "Let's start with the butterfly wings, they've been needing attention for a while now and you have to be two to do it."

 

~*~

 

After finishing the necessary maintenance on the butterfly wings, a job that took nearly three hours, Danny and Aiden sat down to have some coffee.

 

"So Aiden, how did you end up here?"

 

"I was born here."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes really. My mom was the Captain."

 

"So what happened?"

 

"You mean how did Mac become Captain and all that. You want the whole story?"

 

"Yeah I'd love the whole story. If we got time for it."

 

"We got time. What do you want to know?" Aiden smiled.

 

"How did Mac get the Tripoli?"

 

"Well Mac was working for a warlord, Seth, and one day this Seth showed up to talk to the Captain. Long story short, mom got a bit of money and a new job, and Mac got the Tripoli. Apparently Mac had always wanted to be independent and Seth decided a ship would be the perfect gift." Aidens voice was devoid of all emotion.

 

"So why did you stay? I mean with your mother gone and all, weren't you scared?"

 

"Of course I was scared. I missed my mom too, but, I was born on this ship Danny, I've lived my whole life here, I know every nook and cranny, I know each piece of tech and it's particularities. I belong here. This is my home. And mom wanted me to stay, she knew I had a better chance here with Mac, than planetside with her." Aidens voice trailed off and an uneasy silence filled the room.

Danny regretted bringing up what was obviously a sensitive subject.

 

"Aiden. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back bad memories."

 

"You didn't." Aiden smiled. "I miss my mom sometimes. I worry a bit. But I have my life and she has hers and that's just how it is. What else do you want to know?"

 

Danny thought for a minute. "Tell me about Don."

 

"Sure. Don grew up on the Blue Hunter. His family has been security officers on that ship for generations. Then his cousin needed a safe place to stay and work, and Don decided to come with us. When his cousin was settled, he chose to stay and when Mac came and took over the Tripoli, they hit it off." She ended matter-of-factly.

 

"And when you came we became complete." Don was standing in the doorway, smiling."Glad to see you two are getting along."

 

Aiden gave a cheeky grin. "Yeah I'm telling him all your dirty little secrets."

 

"I don't have any dirty secrets."

 

Aiden smirked at him. "Not after I finish telling him about them."

 

Don shook his head. "It's dinnertime." He said apparently deciding not to argue the point. "let's go eat."

 

"It's dinner already?" Both Aiden and Danny were surprised, having been too wrapped up in their work and conversations to notice the time.

 

"Yes it is," said Don and gently pushed them out the door. "We figured you'd forget about it so I'm under orders to drag you two down to dinner."

 

"Now that you mention it," said Danny. "I am a bit hungry."

 

Don laughed and kissed him. "I love you Danny."

 

Aiden snickered at Danny's blush. "You two are so cute." she gushed.

 

"What about me?" came Mac's voice. "Aren't I cute?" he mock pouted.

 

"You're very cute." said Danny and wrapped his arms around him.

 

Danny froze when he realized what he did. He'd been so relaxed, he'd felt so at home, he hadn't thought twice about calling the Captain cute. He hadn't thought twice about initiating physical contact. Danny didn't move he hoped Mac wouldn't be too mad at him.

Mac was thrilled at Danny's declaration, and the hug was a very nice surprise, then he felt Danny tense and hesitate. He quickly wrapped his arms around Danny, holding him tightly. "Thank you Danny," he said softly, feeling the tension leave the thin body.

 

Mac wasn't mad, Danny felt himself go weak at the knees with relief.

 

"You two are both very cute, but I think we should get some food now." Don said. "Especially since we were correct and Danny and Aiden did forget all about food."

 

Mac laughed at that and they went to eat. Dinner went smoothly. The conversation flowed and Danny could eat as much or as little as he wanted to. Not that he was about to turn down the meat and vegetables that was served, they were very good, and he was hungry.

 

~*~

 

After dinner Danny and Aiden went back to engineering and finished up another three of the more essential tuneups before Mac showed up to tell them their shift had ended an hour ago.

Danny blushed. "Sorry Mac, I forgot the time."

 

"No need to apologize, Danny, I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget about me and Don."

 

"Not likely, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

 

"Good to know," Mac smiled, "now come to bed. And you go to bed too Aiden, you need sleep just like the rest of us."

 

"Yes Captain," said Aiden and started shutting down what she was working on. Mac only watched until he was sure she was leaving before looping an arm around Danny and heading for their quarters.

 

"So how was your first day?"

 

"It was good, we got a lot of work done and I really like Aiden." Danny realized what he'd said. "but not in any inappropriate way." he added hastily.

 

Mac laughed, "Don't worry Danny. I know what you mean, and I'm glad you like Aiden. You two will be working together for most of the day and if you didn't like each other it would put a strain on things."

 

Danny relaxed again, it seemed the rest of the crew had exaggerated the extent of Mac's jealousy.

 

Mac opened the door to their quarters, "Better be quiet, I think Don's asleep," he whispered.

 

They went in quietly and carefully slipped out of their clothes, before joining their sleeping lover in the bed.

 

"Goodnight Danny."

 

"Goodnight Mac."

 

Danny's last thought before drifting off to sleep was that being traded to the Tripoli really was the best thing to ever happen to him.


End file.
